April 2012 Staff Picks: PG Gets Pumped

March 9, 2012

PG Gets Pumped
Music has an amazing ability set the mood for magic. This month Premier Guitar editors,
along with Machine Head’s Robb Flynn, share the songs they spin to psych themselves out
and get the adrenaline flowing before a performance.

Rebecca Dirks -- Web Content EditorWhat am I listening to?
I’ve been going
Spotify-crazy lately, building
playlists of music
I’ve been into from childhood till now. It
jumps from the Shins to the Kinks, Fun., Ben
Folds Five, Silverchair, Nada Surf, Smashing
Pumpkins, Simon & Garfunkel, Common,
Kanye West, and everything in between.What song pumps you up before a gig?
Before an interview I usually jam on the
band’s tunes to get in the zone. Generally,
it’s upbeat stuff, like Joe Strummer & the
Mescaleros’ “Johnny Appleseed.”

Andy Ellis -- Senior EditorWhat am I listening to?
Bryan Clark & the
New Lyceum Players,
Southern Intermission.
Panned left and right, Clark and Adam
Fluhrer weave wicked dual-guitar parts
throughout this collection of vibey
Clark originals.What song pumps you up before a gig?
My sonic trifecta: Muddy’s “Rollin’ and
Tumblin’,” Jimi’s “Castles Made of Sand,”
and the Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me
Knocking.” Everything I need is in there.

Shawn Hammond -- Editor in ChiefWhat am I listening to?
Mumiy Troll,
Vladivostok. The latest
from Russia’s biggest
band has luscious guitar tones (“Lucky
Bride”), great production (“Fantastica”),
and a vocalist who sounds like Bela Lugosi
beamed into Bob Dylan’s body.What song pumps you up before a gig?
Killswitch Engage’s “This Is Absolution.” It
boasts defibrillator-like riffs and blastbeats,
but the dynamic arrangement breathes
organically and the aggressive-but-melodic
vocals make you feel invincible.

Tessa Jeffers -- Managing EditorWhat am I listening to?
Tom Waits’ Bad as
Me is spitting in the face
of my “everything samesame”
doldrums, and that was before I
knew Keith Richards, Will Bernard, David
Hidalgo, Charlie Musselwhite, Flea, and
Les Claypool (among others) play on it.What song pumps you up before a gig?
The Dead Weather’s “Hang You from the
Heavens” possesses that reckless, animalistic,
balls-out rawk core that recalls Zeppelin and
drives me to want to grab someone by the
hair and drag them to the devil, as they say.

Chris Kies -- Associate EditorWhat am I listening to?
Every Time I Die, Ex
Lives. The Buffalo rockers’
sixth studio album
is like dating American Psycho’s protagonist
Patrick Bateman: You’re lured in with cleverly
charming, tongue-in-cheek lyrics before being
bushwhacked with head-splitting riffs.What song pumps you up before a gig?
Anything with some power and groove—
it’s always changing, but Pantera’s “Walk,”
Mastodon’s “Blood and Thunder,” or
Soundgarden’s “4th of July” have never
failed me.

Rich Osweiler -- Associate EditorWhat am I listening to?
Hush Arbors and
Arbouretum, Aureola.
This split LP was
recorded prior to their European tour
together. Showcasing the different but complimentary
guitar work of both groups—be
it fuzzy, jangly, or acoustic—each band’s
contribution to this record has a nice taste
of psychedelic lushness.What song pumps you up before a gig?
If it’s right before a gig, it will most
likely be whatever song(s) I’m certain
I’ll forget a part on that evening!

Robb Flynn, Machine Head -- Guest PickerWhat am I listening to?
Ghost, Opus
Eponymous. It’s like
Mercyful Fate meets Blue Oyster Cult—
great stuff.What song pumps you up before a gig?
Changes show to show, but at the moment
Steel Panther’s “Asian Hooker” is the preshow
rager!

Charles Saufley -- Gear EditorWhat am I listening to?
Dirty Three, Toward the Low Sun. I've been loving music that messes with time. This one from Warren Ellis and company floats and meanders like candle smoke, and the interplay between yearning strings, skittering drums, and tangled-vine guitars is the perfect antidote for the 4/4 blues.What song pumps you up before a gig?
A good, homemade, heavy-’60s soul cassette
and the sound of cracking a beer usually
gets me in the right mood.

Jason Shadrick -- Associate EditorWhat am I listening to?
Bill Frisell, Floratone
II. As jazz guitar’s resident
mad genius, Frisell
can get out there and experimental. He
and drummer Matt Chamberlain create
soundscapes that land somewhere between
a dinner party on Mars and a dive bar in
downtown NYC.What song pumps you up before a gig?
Usually something totally different from
what I’m playing. It ranges anywhere from
Pantera’s “I’m Broken,” to Pat Metheny’s
“Question and Answer” or even some Adele.